Army Sergeant Shot After Near-Accident

A U.S. Army sergeant was shot and seriously wounded Thursday in the aftermath of a near-traffic accident on an off-ramp from the Santa Monica Freeway in the Mid-Wilshire area, police said.

Sgt. Leon Archer had to swerve to avoid another car as he took the La Brea Avenue exit southbound at about 3:45 p.m., said Detective Dan Andrews. As he traveled south on the surface street, the car he had avoided and a second vehicle pulled alongside, the detective said.

Someone in the first car fired a shot that struck Archer in the back of the neck, Andrews said. He was in stable condition at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The suspects escaped in two cars, one black and the other blue, officers said.